The invention relates to a device and method for connecting a component part provided with an assembly or connecting opening to a support element of a motor vehicle, more particularly to a support plate of a vehicle door module.
In order to fix component parts on a support element such as, for example, a support plate or a door module it is standard to use connecting elements such as screws, rivets, clips and the like with which the relevant component part is fixed on the support element. This type of fixing requires however additional connecting elements, causes, for example, when using blind rivets additional waste and requires additional assembly time and corresponding assembly costs for aligning, adjusting and attaching the component part.
When manufacturing and assembling movable devices for motor vehicles it is often necessary to connect a component part, which has a tubular section (e.g. a stepped bolt) and which is provided, for example, for rotary mounting a gearbox element, cable roller or the like, to a further component part (e.g. a holding angle).
To this end it is known from DE OS 41 31 098 to use a multi-stepped axle bolt which is fixed by means of rivet elements on a holding angle, for the rotatable bearing of the guide pulley of a cable window lifter. A bore provided in the axle bolt serves to fix the entire structural group (axle bolt, guide pulley, holding angle and where applicable further components ) on a vehicle plate.
The known method for fixing an axle bolt on a holding angle has the drawback that additional rivets or other fixing elements are required and an additional work step-is necessary to attach and where applicable deform the fixing element.
Furthermore when manufacturing and fitting movable devices for motor vehicles it is often necessary to connect two sheet metal parts together.
So-called through seaming techniques are known to connect sheet metal parts whereby a positive connection is produced between the two sheet metal parts by re-shaping local plastics materials whereby the use of additional connecting means (e.g. rivets) becomes unnecessary. These through seaming techniques however have the drawback that they require an expensive apparatus to pre-fit the sheet metal parts which are to be connected so that these can be aligned relative to each other so that they adjoin one another along the desired contact bearing faces.
A further drawback exists in that it is difficult to check the quality of the connections produced since access to carry out a visible check on the areas of the two sheet metal parts which positively engage in each other is difficult.
From DE 44 17 279 A1 a method is known for positively connecting two component parts of movable devices for motor vehicles of which one has a tubular section which is provided for the rotatable or rotationally fixed bearing of a further part. The tubular section of the first component part is guided in an opening of the second component part provided for this purpose and exerts on the tubular section a force in the axial direction through which the tubular section becomes compressed in a partial area so that the compressed area of the tubular section produces a positive locking connection with the second component part. The cable pulley of a window lifter can be mounted for example on the non-deformed axial partial section of the first component part.
The known method allows a simple quick and easy production of a direct durable connection between two component parts wherein, however, one of the two component parts is permanently deformed.
When fitting component parts on a support plate or door module of a motor vehicle care is to be taken that the moisture-tight separation between the wet cell and dry cell of a door is not broken since moisture-sensitive component parts in the dry cell of the vehicle door could be damaged or suffer impaired function.
Furthermore constructing structural groups or incorporating them in other systems with an increasing number of individual elements basically entails further disadvantages. These not only include increased expense for handling but also give rise to faults in fitting and assembling. A large number of parts often requires additional measures for compensating tolerances, for example through oblong hole guides, or a very high precision during manufacture, which is again very cost-intensive.
Furthermore it is desirable with the minimum weight, particularly of a door module, to obtain maximum stability, preferably maximum side impact stability. These contradicting demands can only be met with special technical measures such as reinforcement impressions which however again severely restrict the possibilities when fitting the component parts which are to be connected to a support element.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device and method of the kind mentioned above wherein no additional connecting elements or separate distance-bridging means and no measures for compensating tolerance are required, which cause less assembly time and costs, where applicable guarantee a water and pressure tight connection on the support element and which allow a reduction in the work steps and further ensure a saving in weight and an increase in the stability, more particularly the side impact stability.
The solution according to the invention allows component parts to be fixed or attached and guided on a support element, more particularly a vehicle door, without additional connection elements or separate distance-bridging means as well as no measures for compensating tolerances, guarantees a minimum assembly time and minimum assembly costs and ensures in various different embodiments that the closed contour of the support plate or door module is not broken by the guide or fastening of the component parts so that with these embodiments no additional seals are required between the support element and the guided or fastened component part.
Furthermore the solution according to the invention allows a reduction in the work steps and a reduction in the weight while at the same time increasing the stability, more particularly the side impact stability. Thus when using thinner sheet metal plates an improved mechanical load bearing capacity can be achieved, more particularly a strength which can be adapted to concrete conditions.
An advantageous development of the solution according to the invention is characterized in that the dished shape of the support element is deep drawn or imprinted.
Preferably the box or channel-like dish shape is provided with a reduction in the cross section for an ideal reshaping area or an ideal reshaping point which divides the dish shape into a deformation area and a support or guide area. The deformation area is deformed additionally before or after attaching the component part.
Furthermore the deformation area can be compressed to form a lens-shaped head or a channel which is a box-shape in cross-section, opens like a duct and has semi-circular end sides. In order to form a plate-shaped head with a fold adjoining the guide or support area, the lens-shaped area or the box-section channel is further deformed.
By imprinting guide rails for the entrainment member of a window pane of a cable or Bowden window lifter into the support element (support plate), and thus by integrating the guide rails into the support element, a one-piece arrangement is achieved instead of the otherwise three-part arrangement with left and right guide rails as well as separate support plate for holding the guide rails and drive means of a cable or Bowden window lifter.
This embodiment furthermore allows narrower tolerances to be observed by a one-step manufacture with defined distances or defined association between the left and right guide rails.
At least one guide rail and the support element can be designed as an integral structural unit which forms together with further function elements of a motor vehicle door, such as a door lock, an electric locking, a cable tree, a window lifter drive and the like, and one vehicle door module.
The guide rails can thereby selectively form the edge area of the support element or can be worked into the surface of the support element.
Furthermore the ends of the guide rails can have breaks in the material to hold the cable pulley member or to mount the cable pulleys, more particularly nozzle openings and/or dish-shaped impressions.
A further advantageous design of the solution according to the invention is characterized in that the support element has several interconnected imprinted or deep-drawn areas which preferably serve to hold, guide and /or cover component parts and to increase the stiffness of the support element.
Through this design of the solution according to the invention an open system is possible by integrating reinforcement imprints which are not possible in the case of a three-part design of a cable or Bowden window lifter having a left and right guide rail as well as a support plate for holding the guide rails and the drive device. A clear reduction in weight by using thinner materials while simultaneously increasing the side impact stiffness is now obtained.